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Download entire album for free in the month of April from Oh Darling Official Site
Tour Dates
04/22/09 San Jose State University San Jose, California
Other Cuteness
04/23/09 SPACELAND w/Casxio, The Nights, and Vanaprasta!!!!!!! Los Angeles, California 04/25/09 The Brown Lantern Anacortes, Washington 04/26/09 Doug Fir Portland, Oregon 04/28/09 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, California 04/30/09 Old Ironsides Sacramento, California 05/01/09 KFSR Fresno, California 05/01/09 Fresno State University Fresno, California 05/01/09 Kuppajoe Fresno, California |
“Cute” is a four-letter word, and in the case of many bands, the kiss of death. But for the Portland-based band, Oh Darling, the word is practically a calling card. Each song on their debut album, Nice Nice, could easily find a place within the multi-faceted cute spectrum, which ranges from “unabashedly cute” to “slightly venomous cute.”
Lead singer, Jasmine Ash, guides each song with sugary sweet precision. Even when she’s threatening to crash a plane into your front door, you can’t help but think, Aw, how precious! Most of the lyrics are backed with pristine harmonies, and with each track, Oh Darling seems hellbent on sucking you in, one infectious hook at a time.
Despite the relentless deluge of sweetness, there is an undercurrent of harder rock beneath each pop gem. Sure, it’s cute rock, but there’s still an undeniable edge to the growling guitars behind songs like, “Shoulda Never” and “Against the Skyline.” On the straight-up rock track, “Waking Up on a Train,” a chorus of ba ba ba’s is directly followed by a chugging guitar solo, serving up a much-appreciated dose of testosterone (cute testosterone, but testosterone nonetheless).
Oh Darling is at their best when these two forms of cute –infectious cute and rocking cute—are perfectly balanced. Not surprisingly, the catchiest track on the album is called “Electrocute.” With the obligatory ooh’s and ah ah ah’s backed by thumping bass and guitar licks, the song is a testament to their flawless pop sensibilities.
But such perfection can occasionally grow tiresome. At times, some songs are so precise and seamless, they seem over-calculated. Slower tracks such as “Blindspot” tend to drag, while faster tracks like “Hey. Stay. Wait. Explode” could benefit from Ash losing her cool once in a while. Despite this, Oh Darling remains meticulous when it comes to their particular brand of cuteness, and it’s quite clear they know what they’re doing.
Besides, it’s easy to overlook a few flaws when they’re just so gosh darn adorable.
04/21/2009 15:51:36 ♥ kateg (
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